BC News

U.S. order may pave way for B.C. company to mine the deep sea

B.C. firm could mine the sea

Photo: The Metals Company.

conducted sea trials from the Hidden Gem in May 2022.

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to unilaterally open up mining of the world’s seabeds — a move that sets up a direct confrontation with several allies and opens a potential path for a Vancouver-based mining company to suck critical minerals off the sea floor.

The order, handed down Thursday, comes less than a month after the The Metals Company said it was seeking U.S. approval to mine polymetalic nodules in a stretch of Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii. 

President Trump’s order says it seeks to create a “robust domestic supply chain” and “counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources.” 

But by aiming to unleash U.S. access to offshore critical minerals, the Trump administration has turned away from decades of international diplomacy, largely negotiated through the International Seabed Authority (ISA) — a little known international body set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Last month, The Metals Company said it believes U.S. regulations offer a “clear and predictable route” to secure permits to mine in international waters. The strategy, it warned, also came with the risk of “political instability” as it came into conflict with the ISA.

'Violation of international law'

In March, after The Metals Company said it was turning to the U.S. regulatory approval, ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho expressed “deep concern” that the company was attempting to circumvent the UN body’s exclusive mandate to regulate commercial exploitation of deep sea resources. 

Carvalho said the ISA was the “only universally recognized legitimate framework” to oversee the commercial exploration and exploitation of deep sea resources — a “Common Heritage of Humankind,” as she described it. 

“Any unilateral action would constitute a violation of international law” and directly undermine the fundamental principles of multilateralism, Carvalho said.

In response, The Metals Company CEO Gerard Barron slammed Carvalho, the ISA and member states for bowing to a faction of states allied with environmental groups who see the deep sea mining industry as their “last green trophy.” 

While the ISA and member states reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism in public, Barron said “many of them acknowledged a stark reality in private: commercial industry is not welcome at the ISA.”

Barron said the United States — which has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea — has had a fully developed regulatory regime to allow U.S. citizens to pursue the commercial mining of deep sea metals since 1989. 

“It’s a regulator willing to engage with the applicants and give their application a fair hearing,” said the CEO at the time. 

The latest critical mineral frontier?

Often the size of a potato, polymetalic nodules form layer by layer over millions of years as dissolved metals precipitate out of seawater around a sunken shark tooth, fossil or shard of rock. 

The Metals Company says the metals — which include nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese — represent "a battery in a rock" that could provide a stable supply of metals to feed an electric vehicle fleet equivalent to all the cars currently on the road in the United States.

The company has been actively carrying out exploratory mining expeditions to the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area where polymetallic nodules were discovered by British explorers more than 120 years ago.

In the past, collecting and raising the metals from 4,000 metres under the sea has proven technically challenging and too expensive to conduct commercially. The Metals Company says its latest deep sea trial — robotic vehicles that suck up the nodules off the ocean floor — shows its technology works.?

?The Metals Company said that it is seeking permit applications through U.S. law as part of agreements with two companies — Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited —  and with sponsorships from the governments of Nauru and Tonga.

Last year, the company’s board added Steve Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley investor known for backing companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

It also recently signed a deal with a Japanese company to smelt the nodules into nickel-copper alloy and silicate products.

Following the White House’s announcement Thursday, the value of The Metals Company’s stocks spiked 44 per cent. BIV reached out to the company for comment, but has yet to receive a response. 

Company says 'no assurances it will work'

According to the March 27 filing with the U.S. Securities Commission (SEC), the company said it is in “the initial planning stages of this strategy” and that “there are no assurances” the strategy will work “in a timely manner, or at all.” 

In its March SEC filing, the company itself acknowledged that collecting the nodules is “certain to disturb wildlife” and “may impact ecosystem function.”

The deep water environment also makes scientific monitoring difficult. 

As a result, the company says it may not be possible to conclude that collecting the metals from the ocean floor causes any less harm to global biodiversity than land-based mining does. 

As the filing put it, the impact to biodiversity “may never be, completely and definitively known.” 

Several world leaders and environmental groups have warned the company’s moves have been reckless and risk damaging a sensitive ecosystem and ocean carbon pump still relatively unknown by scientists. 

Over the last three years, 32 countries have publicly opposed rapid development of deep sea mining. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the practice to be banned — a country, that along with its dependents, has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. 

Some, like Canada and the United Kingdom, have called for a moratorium on the practice.

A long list of others have supported a precautionary pause on deep sea mining. 

B.C. Interior police officers honoured for bravery, service

Hero officers honoured

Photo: Colin Dacre

Police officers from across B.C. were honoured this week.

Police officers from the B.C. Interior were among 241 men and women who were honoured this week for bravery and service.

The 40th annual Police Honours night were held April 23 and 24 in Victoria, where awards for valour and meritorious service were issued for 2023 and 2024.

In all, 152 officers received the award of valour, the highest award for a police officer in B.C. It is granted to police officers who purposely acted for the benefit of others, while knowingly placing themselves at substantial risk of death or serious injury.

Eight-nine officers were given with honours for meritorious service, recognizing exemplary performance that answered the call to service in exceptional ways. It is awarded to police officers who clearly demonstrated that they acted in a manner significantly beyond the call of duty.

“Every day, these dedicated individuals courageously uphold public safety, sometimes putting their lives at risk so the rest of us can live in peace. I’m honoured to have had the privilege to recognize these brave officers serving in police departments in B.C. On behalf of all British Columbians, thank you for your service,” said Garry Begg, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, in a news release.

Here is a list of awards issued to officers in the B.C. Southern Interior:

AWARDS OF VALOUR:

Kelowna RCMP Detachment

• Const. Chris Carruthers – for putting themselves in harm’s way, while protecting the public and preventing further violence from a suspect.

Kamloops RCMP Detachment

• Const. Taylor Callens – for their bravery when rescuing a woman during a suicide attempt.
• Const. Matt James – for their exceptional courage and resilience in the face of grave danger.
• Const. Michael Scherpenisse – for their bravery and de-escalation efforts during a potential hostage situation and apprehending an armed robber.
• Constables Dylan Colbourne, Ryan Long and Howard Morine – for their outstanding bravery as they put themselves in harm’s way in pursuit of an armed suspect.

Keremeos RCMP Detachment

• Const. Zachary Plensky – for their incredible strength and resilience when they restrained and transported a suspect by himself, in a remote area without radio contact, while injured from the offender.

Merritt RCMP Detachment

• Constables Derek Bodner, Jerry Davey, Carly Gerein, John Julyan and Nick Maciejewski; and Sgt. Brock Hedrick – for putting their safety on the line as they pursued a property theft suspect who continuously shot at them with an automatic rifle as they fled with their young child in the vehicle.

Salmon Arm RCMP Detachment

• Sgt. Joseph Morrisey – for their bravery and quick action when assisting in the arrest of a violent suspect.

Sicamous RCMP Detachment

• Reserve Const. Patrick Pyper – for risking their own safety to rescue a woman who fell through the ice on a lake at night.

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Detachment

• Const. Jamie Kress – for their quick efforts when responding to a call involving a suicidal female.

Trail RCMP Detachment

• Constables Evan Harding and Jason Zilkie – for risking their lives, while responding to a suicidal and mentally ill male behaving erratically and attempting to enter the BC Ambulance station when he produced a firearm.

Barriere RCMP Detachment

• Const. Jeremy Galvin – for their courageous efforts when responding to an armed individual on the side of a highway, quickly stopping the threat.

Chase RCMP Detachment

• Const. Mario Jakic – for their quick actions, preventing a woman from falling to her death, while placing themselves in harm’s way.

Golden RCMP Detachment

• Cpl. Lucas Sovio – for their bravery and de-escalation tactics, while responding to a suicidal individual that shot at innocent people inside their home.

AWARDS OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE:

Kamloops RCMP Detachment

• Const. Jean-Francois LaPierre – for their life-saving efforts while responding to a wounded individual.
• Sgt. Joseph Morrissey – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, in order to protect the public and other police officers.

Penticton RCMP Detachment

• Const. Derek Ballarin – for their efforts in saving a drowning toddler in a lake, while off duty.

Vernon RCMP Detachment

• Const. Hayley Derzak and Cpl. Darcy Reeves – placed their own lives at risk when responding to a call involving a 17-year-old male threatening to commit suicide.

Sicamous RCMP Detachment

• Sgt. Murray McNeil – for risking their own safety to rescue a woman who fell through the ice on a lake at night.

Southeast District Emergency Response Team

• Const. Michael Dibblee – for their selfless and courageous actions in a situation of extremely high risk, to protect the public and other police officers.

Creston RCMP Detachment

• Sgt. John Edinger and Staff Sgt. Brandon Buliziuk – for their efforts in rescuing a newborn infant with life-threatening conditions.

Midway RCMP Detachment

• Sgt. Phil Peters – for their courageous efforts in locating a wet, hypothermic individual who was trapped in a ravine by making a fire to keep them warm and alert until search-and-rescue personnel arrived.

A full list of awards is here.

New B.C. corrections unit offers involuntary care for mental health, addictions

10 beds of secure care open

Photo: The Canadian Press

B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

British Columbia has opened the first of the government's promised secure units to provide involuntary treatment for people with brain injuries and overlapping mental-health and addiction concerns.

Standing outside the Surrey Pretrial Centre, Premier David Eby says the 10-bed unit will provide involuntary care for those at the jail who are in a mental health crisis and are unable to ask for help themselves.

The premier says the ongoing overdose crisis has created a cohort of people with serious brain injuries who are addicted and have mental health issues, and it means those who need care are often not able to seek it, but end up cycling in and out of jail until they die.

The government says the dedicated beds are currently available in a segregation unit at the remand facility while renovations are being completed on a different living space.

Dr. Daniel Vigo, the province's chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, says prior to the beds opening, people who required involuntary care while in jail had to wait in segregation for weeks for a bed to found.

He says they will now receive the level of psychiatric care they need from a dedicated team the moment they need it.

The province announced plans to open the secure facilities to provide involuntary care last September, and said an additional location would be coming to Maple Ridge for people not involved in the justice system.

The move has been criticized by drug policy advocates who said the shift toward involuntary treatment was a knee-jerk political reaction to try and offer a simple solution to a complex problem.

The involuntary care issue came up in last October’s provincial election, with both Eby and B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad promising some form of involuntary treatment.

Vancouver Police Board says report on complaint of arrest quotas coming in June

Report due on allegations

Photo: The Canadian Press

A Vancouver Police Department (VPD) patch is seen in Ottawa, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The Vancouver Police Board says a "full report" into an anonymous complaint about political motivations and arrest quotas for a crack down on drug crime in the Downtown Eastside will be delivered in June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Vancouver Police Board says a "full report" into a complaint about political motivations and arrest quotas for a crack down on crime in the Downtown Eastside will be delivered in June.

Director Allan Black has told a board meeting the complaint centred on the Vancouver Police Department's "recent expectation of setting arrest quotas," and the report into the complaint will be delivered by the board's next meeting on June 19.

Agenda materials for the meeting on Thursday included a heavily redacted email to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner from an anonymous whistleblower purporting to be a disenchanted Vancouver police officer.

The complaint from last month says the department arbitrarily set arrest quotas as part of Mayor Ken Sim's "Task Force Barrage," an initiative in the Downtown Eastside to crack down on drug-related and other violence and crime.

Outgoing Police Chief Adam Palmer told the meeting the task force's work has led to large decreases in break-ins and robberies and violent crimes, which he called "incredible results" in reducing crime in the community.

Palmer says that there's recently been a 25 per cent increase in assaults on officers, including high-profile cases of a slashing attack and another where an officer was set on fire.

"We're really happy with the results even though we have had some adversity with officers assaulted," Palmer said.

"The people that aren't happy are the drug dealers, the chronic offenders, the organized crime members, the people who are causing hazards and grief and just violence toward people down in the Downtown Eastside, they're not happy at all."

B.C. First Nation at UN calling for government help in battling toxic drug crisis

B.C. First Nation at UN

Photo: The Canadian Press

A United Nations flag flies at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nations in British Columbia are at the United Nations calling for the B.C. and Canadian governments to step up funding for recovery beds and other supports as they battle the toxic drug crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

 Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation in British Columbia are at the United Nations headquarters in New York City calling for the provincial and Canadian governments to fund recovery beds and other supports in the battle against the toxic drug crisis.

Chief Roger William with the Tsilhqot'in National Government says they're asking for help to address the crisis in their own way, through culturally centred programming, improving access to treatment and recovery services, and expanding supportive housing.

William says the basic needs of their members must be met in order to stop their "people from falling into using drugs."

The news conference comes one year after the Tsilhqot'in Nation declared a local state of emergency after a spike in deaths from toxic drug poisoning in its six member nations in central B.C.

Chief Francis Laceese says the crisis is a "continuation" of threats to his people's survival in the form of residential schools and the smallpox epidemic that devastated Indigenous communities in B.C. in the early 1860s.

The Tsilhqot'in National Government said last April when it declared the emergency that toxic drugs, combined with the historical and ongoing harms of colonialism, were contributing to higher rates of overdose deaths among Indigenous Peoples.

The statement called on "all ministries and agencies to work together to end this loss of lives" and pointed to a lack of treatment facilities.

BC Parks announces Joffre Lakes closure, day-pass dates

Joffre Lakes to close

Photo: Joel Barde

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

The popular Joffre Lakes Park area will be temporarily closed from April 25 to May 16 as part of an ongoing partnership agreement between BC Parks, Lil’wat Nation and N’Quatqua Nation. The closures are intended to balance the increasing number of tourists flocking to the area with the Nations’ traditional and environmental priorities.

“The temporary closures are intended to respect the Nations’ need for space and privacy to practice cultural activities, while ensuring opportunities for people to use the park,” according to a release from BC Parks.

When the Joffre re-opens on Saturday, May 17, adults and youth older than 12 will need a free day-use pass to visit the park. The Province will post future closure dates for 2025 “as soon as possible.”

The park, known as ‘Pipi7íyekw,’ is one of the busiest in the province, with increasing numbers of visitors coming to the area to hike, camp, mountain bike and hunt.

Since 2018, BC Parks, N’Quatqua and Lil’wat Nation have collaborated through a technical working group to implement a joint visitor use management strategy.

A key issue for the partnership is addressing the environmental degradation caused by an influx of tourists. Tourism can cause soil erosion, disturb wildlife and strain water supplies. As Pique has previously reported, the Joffre Lakes and wider Duffey corridor are considered a “banquet place” for First Nations, where minerals can be gathered, plants harvested, and animals can be hunted or trapped.

The park was first closed for a month in 2023.

Lil’wat political chief Dean Nelson explained at the time the Nation had requested meetings with the B.C. government to discuss closures but was never granted a meeting, leading to the surprise assertion of Lil’wat and N’Quatqua’s rights to steward their unceded lands and territories, as established by a 2014 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada.

In 2024, the Park was closed thrice, for less than a month each time, through a partnership approach between BC Parks, Lil’wat and N’Quatqua.

Day-use passes have been used at Joffre Lakes since 2021 to ensure parking access and reduce crowding. The passes can be reserved online at 7 a.m. up to two days before a planned visit on BC Parks’ website.

Reservable dates for backcountry camping at Upper Joffre Lake will also be posted shortly.

The province noted there may still be snow at Joffre Park and in the parking lot. Users regularly post trail conditions on the AllTrails app.

For more information about day-use passes this summer, visit: bcparks.ca/reservations/day-use-passes.

Supreme Court of Canada agrees to weigh in on B.C. First Nations' title dispute

Supreme Court to weigh in

Photo: The Canadian Press

Construction workers build scaffolding at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to weigh in on a dispute between First Nations that have overlapping land title claims in British Columbia.

The overlapping claims involve the Gitanyow Nation, the Nisga’a Nation and the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation, and Canada's high court on Thursday agreed to hear appeals of decisions by lower courts in B.C.

The Gitanyow Nation's title claims overlap with the Nisga'a Nation's claims, which are covered by a treaty, and both the B.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeal denied the Nisga'a's bid to be added as a defendant in the Gitanyow's case, which is scheduled for trial in B.C. Supreme Court next month.

The Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation also has overlapping claims with the Gitanyow, and the Supreme Court of Canada is now poised to decide how courts will handle complex title disputes between First Nations.

Lawyer Ryan Beaton, a member of the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation's legal team, says hearing the cases separately would have been "inefficient" and the high court now has "an opportunity to speak to how these overlapping cases should be litigated."

Beaton says the top court has yet to address how courts should deal with overlapping title claims, and its decision will set down guidelines and principles "for how these types of overlaps will be litigated" in the future.

"In B.C., especially with most First Nations not having treaties with the Crown, there are many title claims and many potential title cases that will involve overlapping claims," he said.

"We said to the Supreme Court and, urging them to take this appeal, that there needs to be some guidance from the country's highest court on how the courts, lower courts, should deal with these cases as they start to come now."

Innovation funding taking root at Okanagan tree fruit farms

Innovation taking root

Photo: Castanet

Okanagan fruit growers are investing in their crops.

Funding aimed at protecting future crops of cherries, peaches, apples and other tree fruits from changing growing conditions has fallen into place.

The $5-million Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency fund has covered the cost of 52 wind machines, 10 energy-efficient heaters, two hail nettings, one shade/heat protection netting, one evaporative-cooling system and one innovative project for a freeze chamber to test bud hardiness, the province said in a Thursday media release,

“Extreme weather events are a major concern, and this investment will help farmers install much-needed equipment to protect their orchards and the delicious, quality fruit British Columbians rely on and enjoy,” Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food, said.

Of the investments made, 49 were for cherry growers, nine projects for apple and pear growers, and nine projects for other stone-fruit growers. Sixty-four projects are in the Okanagan and three projects are in the Kootenays.

The program is helping tree-fruit growers buy equipment, invest in infrastructure and pursue innovative projects following several years of extreme weather that severely affected peach, pear, plum, cherry and apple producers.

The Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency program is administered by MNP.

These projects will protect nearly 360 hectares (887 acres) of orchards in B.C., helping mitigate extreme weather effects on the tree-fruit sector. The projects will be complete by March 2027.

“The B.C. Cherry Association was very pleased to see the high uptake by industry in this program. After five consecutive years of extreme climate events, we needed to take a proactive approach,” said Sukhpaul Bal, president, B.C. Cherry Association.

“The Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency program allows growers to make investments in their farms to better protect against future events, and we look forward to building on the success of the program to ensure the long-term sustainability of the cherry sector.”

The Tree Fruit Climate Resiliency program was developed with input from the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association and the B.C. Cherry Association as part of government’s efforts to help tree-fruit growers through challenges.

B.C. businesses willing to break with U.S. suppliers despite higher costs, survey says

BC businesses shun U.S.

Photo: Photo by chris robert on Unsplash.

A new BIABC survey reveals more than half of B.C. businesses say they’re shifting away from U.S. suppliers, even when it means higher prices and slower growth.

B.C. businesses are looking away from U.S. suppliers even if it’s more expensive to do so. 

That’s according to a Wednesday survey from the Business Improvement Areas of B.C. showing 58 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses are seeking alternative sources, while 59 per cent of respondents are looking for a Canadian partner.

The survey also showed 84 per cent of respondents are doing so even if it brings higher costs and a blow to their profits. 

BIABC president Jeremy Heighton said in a statement that business owners and consumers are shifting to a “buy Canadian” pattern.

However, 12 per cent of businesses say they are unable to shift suppliers at the moment due to contracts, according to the survey. Some are short-term contracts and others last up to three years.

A BIABC press release said most SMBs have a mix of supplier partnerships across B.C., Canada and the U.S. 

The federal government has hinted towards a reorientation of Canada’s trading partners following the implementation of U.S. tariffs targeting the country. At a March 27 cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated the old relationship with the U.S. was over. 

However, pivoting away from the U.S. could be unrealistic, Werner Antweiler told BIV earlier this month. The associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business said “Geography is destiny when it comes to international trade,” especially when B.C. relies heavily on trade with the U.S.

The majority of businesses surveyed — 161 businesses from BIAs around B.C. provided feedback — said they were willing to negatively affect their profitability, increase prices for consumers and delay growth or expansion plans rather than buy American goods.

—With a file from Andrew Duffy, Times Colonist

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown announces retirement

Change coming to IH

Photo: Castanet

IH CEO Susan Brown is stepping down at the end of 2025.

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown will retire by the end of 2025, after seven years as the health authority's CEO.

“On behalf of British Columbians, I extend our deepest appreciation to Susan for her leadership and dedication to serving patients and communities during her 34-year career in the provincial health system,” Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, said in a media release.

Osborne pointed to Brown's focus on innovation, including opening the first Urgent and Primary Care Centre in B.C. in Kamloops in 2018 and, since then, 10 more, with the latest in February in Williams Lake.

The addition of new specialized cardiac and stroke services at Kelowna General Hospital and the approval of the Kamloops Cancer Centre under Brown’s leadership will support patients getting care closer to home.

“From her first days as a nurse in the emergency department at Vancouver General Hospital to her current role at the helm of Interior Health Authority, Susan’s lifetime of service has made a lasting impact to patients and their families across the province,” Osborne said.

Brown will continue to serve as CEO through December 2025, and the search for her replacement will begin immediately.

One year after B.C.'s short-term rental crackdown, has it made housing cheaper?

Has housing been cheaper?

Photo: The Canadian Press

Condo buildings tower above older two and three-storey walk-up apartment buildings in Burnaby, B.C., on Dec. 18, 2024. 

Marv Gandall says living in one of Victoria's largest residential buildings a year ago meant a parade of people with suitcases, stuffed visitors parking and slow elevators.

Gandall, who has lived in the Era on Yates complex for a decade, described long waits, packages going missing and scratched walls from the high number of visitors using some of its 157 units as short-term rentals.

He said residents began to call their building a "ghost hotel."

"The major concern was the disruption, the maintenance issues and the issue of theft. We did have more frequent break-ins in our storage lockers," he said.

"There was some vandalism in the parkade, and we think that was also because when you have short-term renters, it's much easier for short-term renters to have other people access the building."

In the year since British Columbia implemented regulations cracking down on short-term rentals, Gandall said things had improved, and it appeared more Era units were being used long term. But it hasn't completely prevented people trying to dodge the rules.

"My impression is that since the passage of the provincial legislation last May, coupled with some initiatives by the local city council, there has been a dip in the noticeable (short-term rental) activity, not only at the Era, but also when I've spoken to other concerned residents in some of the other major highrises," he said.

The regulations that came into effect on May 1, 2024, cover most communities of more than 10,000 people. They restrict short-term rentals to principal residences, a secondary suite or a structure like a laneway house on the property.

B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon is declaring victory, pointing to dropping rents and thousands of units being removed from websites like Airbnb and VRBO. But experts say market forces are too complex to credit one factor for the changes.

Kahlon said thousands of properties that used to be on short-term-rental websites are now on the market or being used as long-term rentals.

"All my colleagues have stories from their communities of people that are moving into what used to be a short-term rental and is now available for families long term," the minister said in an interview earlier this month.

"And we're seeing rents come down across the province, in every community."

Property owners have until May 1 to add their properties to a provincewide registry in order to be able to legally use them for short-term rental.

Kahlon said about 15,000 properties were on the registry at the beginning of April, and his office reported more than $3 million had been collected in registration fees.

"Before the registry was launched, we estimated roughly about 22,000 short-term rentals were on the different platforms. We have 15,000 that are registered to date, so that we (have) about 7,000 operators that either haven't applied or perhaps have decided not to stay in the business of short-term rental operating. So that's significant," he said.

Hosts who do not register their properties will have their listings taken down starting May 1, and have future bookings cancelled starting June 1.

Data provided by the Ministry of Housing shows that from May 2024 to February 2025, many communities saw a significant drop in the number of entire properties listed on short-term rental sites.

The ministry says such listings in the City of Kelowna dropped 31 per cent, while those in Victoria dropped 24 per cent and Vancouver listings dropped 22 per cent.

The communities also saw an increase in vacancy rates from 2023 to 2024, according to the data.

Numbers published by the website rental.ca show average rent in B.C. was down 0.6 per cent year-over-year in March, based on listings posted on the site, while Vancouver saw a 5.7 per cent drop. It was the 16th straight decline in apartment rents in the city, which has had various short-term rental rules since 2018, although it remains the most expensive place in Canada to rent.

The website's monthly report says average asking rents in Canada fell 2.8 per cent to $2,119 in March. Rent for apartments in Toronto was down 6.9 per cent, the 14th consecutive decline in the city, which also recently implemented restrictions on short-term rentals.

But it hasn't been one-way movement. Rent in Victoria was up three per cent in March. And in February, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation forecast that while B.C. would see higher vacancy rates over the next few years due to lower population growth, average rents would rise as more new, higher-priced units come to market.

The corporation's most recent rental market report, for fall 2024, said average Vancouver rent for a two-bedroom apartment was up 5.5 per cent in October from a year earlier, although that rate of growth had slowed.

Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, said while some data suggest rent and condo prices have gone down, there are too many competing factors to be able to specifically credit the short-term rental rules.

Other factors could include interest rates, the general economic situation, or changes in immigration, he said.

"There's a lot of noise trying to figure out what the signal looks like. And I think that that's the big challenge, really trying to filter through what has happened in the one year since B.C. adopted the short-term rental laws," he said.

Will Gladman, with the Vancouver Tenants Union, said its members haven't been reporting rent decrease, but rather "quite reliably" are being hit with increases.

He said even if some numbers suggest rents are dropping slightly, the cost to live in the city remains very high.

"(It's) still unbelievably expensive and way out of reach, even for people making a pretty decent income in the city," he said.

Gladman said the group didn't expect the changes to short-term rentals to make a significant difference, though they are in favour of any improvements that don't involve displacing people from their homes.

"Those were units that, from our perspective, were wasted and are now becoming homes for people. So obviously, that's positive," he said.

"But when you have a provincial government that is trying to rely on these kind of supply-side tweaks, and nonetheless to rely on the market to provide some kind of an affordable housing strategy, we would never expect it to go very far."

Brendon Ogmundson, chief economist for the B.C. Real Estate Association, said while the government's goal of increasing housing supply is understandable, the rules may have done more harm than good overall, considering impact on tourism.

He said decreases in rents have more to do with factors like new units hitting the market and population growth falling, particularly among groups with high demand for rentals, such as international students and temporary foreign workers.

"(It's) hard to determine how much of an impact (the new law has had). My guess is pretty small. It's certainly impacting things in tourism. It's a lot more expensive to get a hotel now, in a lot of areas, there's not a lot of choice. But I don't think it's had a major impact on things like rental affordability," he said.

In Victoria, Gandall worried that as hotel prices climbed, the government may be tempted to roll back some short-term rental rules.

In an interview this week with Chek News, B.C. Premier David Eby said when the province gets "back to healthy rental levels in communities" the government would reduce restrictions on short-term rentals.

Gandall said Airbnbs still run in his building. He also suspects not everyone is being honest when they claim a unit as their primary residence.

But Kahlon said the government goes through a lengthy process to confirm whether a short-term rental qualifies.

The minister said there will always be people looking for ways to break the rules, but that the fines — $5,000 a day for those who are caught — are a significant deterrent.

"I think that we're going to see other provinces that are going to move down the same direction as us," he said.

"And we're hearing from our local government partners in particular that this system is working much better in their communities, and we're going to continue down this path because it's the right thing to do to ensure people have access to affordable housing in our communities."

Tariffs throw wrench into B.C. electric motorcycle maker's U.S. ambitions

Tariffs kneecap EV company

Photo: Contributed

Damon Inc. announced plans in 2021 for a 110,000-square-foot facility in Surrey (artist's rendering).

Ongoing auto tariffs may drive one B.C. electric vehicle manufacturer to look beyond the U.S. market.

“It forces us to look abroad and see how we work together with other markets,” Dominique Kwong, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver-based Damon Inc. (Nasdaq:DMN), told Business In Vancouver on Monday. “Maybe we’re changing the priorities of other markets … and having to revisit the U.S. every quarter—it’s unfortunate, because it’s hard to adjust.”

The Vancouver-based EV company has two electric motorcycles in development and aims to release its first bike by the start of 2027.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans for 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods in March. Earlier that month, Kwong told BIV his company was at a manufacturing crossroads, deciding whether to begin production in B.C. or go elsewhere.

“This is where, unfortunately, the politics of the new leadership in the U.S. is really taking a foothold into these decisions,” he said at the time. “We will build the vehicles where it makes sense for us, as far as sales and also the logistics.”

Trade tensions have only worsened since following the implementation of 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian automobile imports and parts earlier this month. Prime Minister Mark Carney subsequently announced matching the tariffs.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Kwong said. “What we end up doing is trying to understand the cost structures and try to find as much certainty in uncertainty, because it’s hard to forecast.”

Kwong said not knowing if or when the tariffs will end, as well as fears that they could increase, make it challenging to set prices. The application of tariffs on vehicle parts and equipment needed to build Damon’s products also poses challenges, he added.

“How do we pass along an extra 30 per cent to our customers? How do you absorb it? ... It's just too dynamic in nature,” he said. “If we had an 18-to-24-month view that this is what's happening, and it's going to be established for this period of time, we adjust.”

Kwong said it is still to be determined if the implementation of auto tariffs has offered any clarity for Damon’s manufacturing plans.

“We are a global manufacturer of our vehicles and our products,” he said. “We're constantly evaluating whether it’s local or abroad, we're doing both. There's not one strategy where we’re moving everything from Canada and going to the U.S.—that's not true.”

Ground was broken in 2021 on the site of a new head office and manufacturing plant for Damon in Surrey, where the company said as many as 40,000 motorcycles would be made annually.

The 110,000-square-foot facility was expected to host 800 manufacturing and office jobs, with the company expecting at the time to hit nearly $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025.

Damon announced in November 2024 that financial challenges have caused significant delays.

-With files from Tyler Orton